


Every Time We Try We Get Nowhere

by BubblegumCoffee



Series: Warfjack [2]
Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Apartment AU, Bubbles is still an asshole, But now with: angst, M/M, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Warfjack, but not that much bc im a pansy, still in rarepair hell but im glad some of you like this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-26
Updated: 2018-05-26
Packaged: 2019-05-14 03:57:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14762160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BubblegumCoffee/pseuds/BubblegumCoffee
Summary: Wilford was too good for him, to summarize. And it wasn’t really that he was trying to act superior, he just was.





	Every Time We Try We Get Nowhere

It had been roughly two months since Jack had first pet-sitted for Wilford, having had to learn the hard way several of Bubbles’ quirks (there had been one time where Bubbles had sat in his green hair and started to rip at it, probably thinking it was grass. He had since dyed it back to coffee brown). Wilford was truly a nice man, as well. He paid well, wasn’t an eyesore, and made sure to accommodate Jack’s work schedule so that he could comfortably do both jobs. 

Speaking of not being an eyesore, Jack had unfortunately been thinking about the pink-haired man far too much. Wilford probably didn’t roll that way, if Jack were to be honest with himself. Yes, he was a bit flirty, but he never genuinely acted interested in anyone but the bird. The few strange situations they’d had could have easily been chalked up to other things. So what if Wilford whispered in his ear, or guided him from behind in making food, or just… nope. His neighbor thought he was more of a dumb child than anything else. 

Wilford was too good for him, to summarize. And it wasn’t really that he was trying to act superior, he just was. 

Jack supposed the fact that he didn’t try so hard was one of the reasons he found him attractive. In his own life, there was always something to be anxious about. But whether it was going out to parties by himself, interacting with strangers, or participating in whatever job he had that required him to fly around the world, he never seemed nervous. 

He was just a man who liked his pet, and did whatever he wanted to do without worrying about what could go wrong. There needed to be more people in the world like that. 

Jack was not one of those people. Jack was a mess-up. He made enough mistakes with both his money and his past jobs, enough so that his parents had questioned if Los Angeles was really the place for him. This area was for people who actually tried, not ones that never did anything outside of their comfort zone. 

“They’ll just take advantage of you, Sean.” He remember the myriad of his international phone calls in crystal clear detail, but the one a couple nights ago stuck with him more than he liked to admit. 

“You’ll get paid minimum, you’ll have all the hard work forced on you, and then the rent will just keep getting higher. You’re not in the right place. The sooner you know that, you can actually do something with your life.” His father had been scathing. No amount of ‘Talk to us soon’ or ‘You know we love you’ had enough effect on him to not make him tear up after it ended. 

He had begun to reach the point where he was pitifully trying to spite them, and for that reason, could never cry into the phone again or complain at all. Any weakness would show them they were right, after all. 

At least he could mutter his problems to Bubbles when he was carefully cleaning his cage. When Wilford would come in, his face would be rubbed free of tears. But maybe it was okay that sometimes Wilford recognized the redness and was kind enough to not mention it too. 

“Order for number forty!” The chef called out, sounding annoyed. This had probably been his second or third time making the statement, and Jack winced. He quickly grabbed the burger and the...questionable fries...before scanning the inside of the restaurant. It was kind of empty, being just about time to close. No forty on the inside, though. He bumped the front door with his back and pushed outside, turning around to the wooden patio. 

“Wil!” Jack couldn’t help but jolt, struggling to keep a hold on the tray. The closest acquaintance he’d bumped into in this place was the mailman. 

His neighbor was dressed in his usual suspenders and brightly-colored button up, black boots up on another empty chair. He instantly grinned when he saw Jack. 

“Hey, there!” His jaw moved dramatically. “They drenched the fries in mayonnaise AND hot sauce, right? Just how I asked?” Jack rolled his eyes. Of course, he should’ve known. He set the food down, and the pink-haired man dug a couple fingers into the fried mess. 

He nodded and set down the food before turning briefly to the window. The food being prepared for the other patrons was on the grill, so he probably had a minute or two to talk.

“Were you, uh, going to ask about another appointment?” Jack questioned. 

“Why would I do that?” Wilford seemed genuinely confused, but it was hard to take him seriously with sauce on his mustache. “I’m not going anywhere or getting sick. I just wanted to see you, handsome.”

“Ah...oh.” Shit, he was blushing. Maybe the Golden Hour would hide the color on his face. Wilford didn’t mean it like that. 

“To be truthful, I also wanted to ask you to play some games with me after work. It’s been fun and all with Bubbles, but we should probably spend more time together than that,” He smiled. “I figured we could walk back to the apartment together.”

“Sounds fun.” Jack nodded after a surprised pause. He didn’t give himself much time to think about it though, as a coworker was calling. “I’ll be like an hour though. They always make me mop.” 

“I don’t mind waiting for you.” Wilford’s smile went all the way up to his eyes. Jack rushed off the deck and back inside. 

When they finally began to walk home, it was pitch black outside, and there were no cars in sight. Neither of the two seemed to mind just listening to the cicadas until they got home. 

-

“Uh, this is seriously not what I thought you meant. What if we played video games instead?” Jack was staring with absolute horror at the table where Wilford’s antique revolver was laying, and also where Bubbles was poking at the trigger. 

“What? You’re crazy. The only technology I have is my vinyl and the radio. Plus, who doesn’t like a little Confetti Roulette?”

“Everyone. Everyone, Wilford.” And Jack shrank back as Bubbles managed to press down the trigger for the third time, passing another blank. 

“It won’t hurt you even a little bit. You need to relax, Jack. What do you think, Bubbly?” The Rose-Breasted Cockatoo had still been playing with the gun, but at the prompt, he chirped out a little “Yessir!”

“He talks?” Jack asked, surprised. “I thought he wasn’t a parrot!” He was so giddy about the revelation that he didn’t even react to the fourth blank that was aimed straight at Wilford’s face. 

“Well, yeah! He loves talking even more than screaming, and that’s saying something. He picks new stuff up so much, I’m surprised you haven’t heard him.” Wilford laughed heartily as he turned the gun across the table again, much to Bubbles’ chagrin. 

Thinking back to it, Jack probably had heard the bird talk. He had just assumed Wilford was making a weird voice in the next room, because it was always his ridiculous puns. 

“He’s a great little guy to confess stuff to, as you probably know.” The pink-haired man continued, lost in thought. 

Bubbles screamed at the same time he pulled the trigger this time, so when it actually fired pink confetti it wasn’t as bad as it could have been. Jack still outmatched his scream, though. Wilford boomed with laughter and jumped out of his chair, stomping around and probably annoying the shit out of the downstairs neighbors. 

“I WIN AGAIN!” Wilford shouted. Dear Lord, how many poor neighbors had he done this with? Right, Jack had to remind himself, this was not out of the norm for Wilford. Jack was just another guy who was convenient. He tried not to let the slight disappointment show on his face as Bubbles clicked over to him. 

“And for your punishment,” Wilford paused, booping Jack on the nose. “Bubbles is going to give you a smooch! So close your eyes.” Jack wasn’t even willing to argue about his fear of the bird’s strong beak being so close to his face. He just wiped off the confetti from his face and held tightly onto the armrests, bracing for the interaction. 

But it wasn’t a hard beak. Yes, Bubbles was on his shoulder, but a fuzzy mustache and warm lips met Jack’s instead in the longest millisecond of his life. He choked and blinked his eyes open, staring in shock at Wilford. The neighbor was still only mere inches away, leaning over him with a worried smile. 

“I’m sorry, I don’t really know how to ask people out the normal way. And I know I’m not...normal.” Wilford was the one who looked embarrassed for once. “I just thought this would be fun. I get it if you’re not comfortable.”

Jack was struggling to get the right words out, feeling like a broken processor, so he said nothing. No, Wilford was the good one, he tried to say. It didn’t matter if Jack wasn’t comfortable if Wilford was happy. Wilford stood up fully, feeling worse. 

“You...confessed something to Bubbles the last time you pet-sitted. Something I never thought would be the same as what I thought. But Bubbles likes to talk, so…” He rubbed the back of his neck. 

Wilford let out a small noise as Jack stood up on the chair and practically assaulted the man in a hug, legs wrapping around his waist. Bubbles had barely had any time to jump away, because Jack hadn’t even thought about the action in the first place.

“Shit,” Jack curled into the man’s shoulder. “I thought you thought I acted like a little kid. You really like me?” Wilford nodded silently, and Jack felt it. Christ, they couldn’t both be tearing up. 

“Well, no more Confetti Roulette, but yes. I kind of...like you too.” And as Wilford sat them both down on the armchair, peppering kisses on the younger’s wet face, Jack thought for once that he had made a good decision.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for all the super nice responses! I hope this long-overdue update is good for you guys. Please lemmie know what you think about the boys, or even suggest prompts for another part! 
> 
> Rottenka x


End file.
